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Good on ya for getting your specks today. Flight was high and mighty hard for me to influence this calm and cloudy morning.

Yours sounds a much more specific approach than mine. About as close as I get to the fishing analogy is fishing for something a particular bird or group will respond and, perhaps, break to. When I hit on that, it's my breaking tool. But I seldom feel the "on a string" control I often do with big ducks, much less horse them like a mallard. Mostly just try to give them just enough of whatever they seem to like to keep them interested at times when it won't give its source away.

Not much I can do about birds pushing off what is so clearly a blind, beyond trying to make it seem abandoned, but yesterday's struggle for me was to break anything in the first place. Didn't see a whole lot in the first place, and all I could influence during our time there were two singles trafficking just as high as the flights, and they took for-flipping-ever getting down - and in out of range.

We'll see if this morning's weather provides some relief...

That speck number is impressive.

DComeaux wrote:That speck number is impressive.

Sure is.

johnc wrote:Thing that impresses me most is the 60 snows shot decoying---I am learning,though very frustrating at times,i can honestly say all our snows were shot decoying,not just passing, or happen to be flying low that day

That would be fun, and something I haven't been part of in many, many years. Moderate sized rag spreads, dug outs in the wet soil lined with peat sacks, laying on on your back,covered with and peeking through rice stubble. Although, I'd assume you're spread is smaller then this and the calling comes into play. Chasing snows and blues your way would be fun.

Great season John Really appreciate your reports, and your sharing what works for you in your patch.

And the beat goes on. Pretty remarkable from where I stand. (Didn't hunt this morning, but the dogs and I made a mid morning round south of Gueydan that made it look like spring had sprung and birds are pulling out.)

johnc wrote:
Malfunctions: Failed to get 6 th speck for 3 man limit

Shame on ya.

johnc wrote:Date:2/5/17

Time: morning

Location:farm

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: MODERATE Southeast

Temperature: cool

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Ducks---closed--,,,geese -- few groups of decoying specks

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Specks good

Hunters: John C,DAD,Charles B

Guns:Remington 870,sx3,BROWNING GOLD 12

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Kudos:nice SPECK hunt

curses:

BIRDS BY SPECIES---6 SPECKS

IMG_0907 (1).JPG

I'm curious...........have never shot a Speck, and have always been told that the ones with bars on their bellies are the mature birds, but have never seen one with a mostly black belly like the Speck 3rd from left has. Is it just an older, more mature bird? BTW, congrats on the late season Speck success!!!!

Deltaman wrote:

johnc wrote:Date:2/5/17

Time: morning

Location:farm

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: MODERATE Southeast

Temperature: cool

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Ducks---closed--,,,geese -- few groups of decoying specks

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Specks good

Hunters: John C,DAD,Charles B

Guns:Remington 870,sx3,BROWNING GOLD 12

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Kudos:nice SPECK hunt

curses:

BIRDS BY SPECIES---6 SPECKS

IMG_0907 (1).JPG

I'm curious...........have never shot a Speck, and have always been told that the ones with bars on their bellies are the mature birds, but have never seen one with a mostly black belly like the Speck 3rd from left has. Is it just an older, more mature bird? BTW, congrats on the late season Speck success!!!!

We got one like that last weekend of the duck season.

It was very noticeable flying in flock of birds with very little barring.


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But not noticeably larger.


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johnc wrote:

Ericdc wrote:

Deltaman wrote:

johnc wrote:Date:2/5/17

Time: morning

Location:farm

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: MODERATE Southeast

Temperature: cool

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Ducks---closed--,,,geese -- few groups of decoying specks

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Specks good

Hunters: John C,DAD,Charles B

Guns:Remington 870,sx3,BROWNING GOLD 12

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Kudos:nice SPECK hunt

curses:

BIRDS BY SPECIES---6 SPECKS

IMG_0907 (1).JPG

I'm curious...........have never shot a Speck, and have always been told that the ones with bars on their bellies are the mature birds, but have never seen one with a mostly black belly like the Speck 3rd from left has. Is it just an older, more mature bird? BTW, congrats on the late season Speck success!!!!

We got one like that last weekend of the duck season.

It was very noticeable flying in flock of birds with very little barring.

simply a first year speck----spotted whitefront,black on beak,nail on end of beak black,little to no barring


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The almost solid black one?


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The blacked out one in my pic is a juvenile you think?




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That's what a friend with permits to raise them has told me. Some will be barless or nearly so their entire adult lives, others blacked out or nearly so their entire lives and most, of course, something in between. Said the patterns can change year to year, but the propensity for heavy or light barring seems genetically locked in. Also agreed that the whitefront is a better indicator of age.

John, Eric's pics are sized too large for this board and much of the horizontal image is missing unless you right click your mouse on it and choose "view image" to see the whole thing, where the birds, young and older, are side by side in that first one.